(Published in the Summer 2008 Issue)

For the Birds
Create a birdhouse within an hour that will provide hours of fun.
By Scott and Ann Springer

Giving your child a bird’s eye view of your backyard pond can be achieved in as little as 60 minutes as you build a simple but functioning birdhouse together.

And the birdhouse is easier to assemble than you might imagine. You can pick up a pre-made kit from a garden center or you make a kit from household supplies. (You can refer to the instructions below for making a birdhouse from a milk carton.)

Children as young as 5 years old can lend a hand in the construction of the birdhouse, says Maureen Hosty, 4-H extension faculty at Oregon State University in Portland, Ore.

While the project itself only takes an hour to complete, it may lead to hours of entertainment for a youngster near the pond, Hosty says. “You can start talking to the kids about the importance of insects, natural habitats, and how humans provide assistance to wildlife,” she says. “It opens them up to all kinds of questions and all kinds of other discussions.”

Safety First
“When you’re dealing with kids you have to think about safety first and foremost before you can begin building,” says Rob Riedl, the owner of The Birdhouse Depot, a manufacturer of birdhouses in Tacoma, Wash.

Wearing safety glasses and keeping a first-aid kit with plenty of band-aids handy during any project involving tools is common sense, according to Riedl. “There’s always a possibility for splinters because you’re working with wood,” he says.

Read over all of the instructions with your child before you begin the process to become familiar with it, Riedl advises. “Take it slow and be careful,” he says.

Gathering and Prepping the Supplies
Birdhouses should be made of a premium wood, such as western red cedar, because they’re naturally weather-resistant and don’t require staining, Riedl says.

Galvanized nails and screws are preferred for these projects because they will be exposed to the elements, Hosty says.

If the wood doesn’t come with pre-drilled holes you’ll need to carefully drill the holes without splintering the wood. Coating the nail with bar soap may prevent the wood from splintering, Riedl says.

Another way to prevent the wood from splintering is to pre-drilled screw holes slightly smaller than the screw or the nail, Hosty says.

You may need to drill a hole to create an entry way for the birds if you’re not using a kit. Be sure it’s appropriately sized to let the intended birds in but small enough to keep predators out, Hosty says. (See the chart below to match the dimensions with each bird species.)

“The easiest way to make the entrance hole is to use a hole saw of the correct size attached to a power drill,” Hosty says.

Cutting 1/8-inch grooves on the inside of the front panel with an awl or hammer claw enables birds to climb out of the box when they’re ready to leave the nest, Hosty recommends.

Several ¼-inch holes drilled into the bottom and two on each side near the top of the box will allow water to drain out and air to circulate, Hosty says.

Home ‘Tweet’ Home
Once you’ve gathered all of the required materials together, have prepped the wood by drilling the necessary holes and have had a brief safety review, you’re ready to start the construction process.

“Nest boxes can be very simple in design,” Hosty says. “The most important features are the size of the box and the entrance hole.”

A traditional house features a roof that overlaps to let the rain run off and has a mounting hole for hanging. However, you may choose to make a condo-style house with multiple entrances and areas for multiple families to reside.

“Use two pivot screws or nails to pin the top of one of the sides,” Hosty says. “This allows it to hinge open so you can clean the box inside.” Repeat the same process on the opposite side, Hosty says. Close the sides by securing it with two screws and a wire, she adds.

While it may be tempting to paint and decorate the birdhouse, the chemicals in the paint may pose a hazard to the feathered friends that call your backyard “home,” Riedl says. Not only is the smell a deterrent to the birds, but any paint chips ingested may be fatal to the bird, he adds.

Adding a perch near the front entrance looks aesthetically appealing but may put the birds settled inside at danger. “Crows and other predators will hang on to the perch and then stick their heads in the opening and pull the babies out of their home,” Riedl says.

Metal flashing or flattened aluminum may keep predators from interfering with the entry hole, Hosty says.

Once construction of the abode has been completed, you’re ready to hang it near the pond, which is a natural food and water source for birds.

Hosty says it may take anywhere from minutes to months for an avian family to take ownership of the home, and you may have to try several spots before you see a nest forming.

Make sure you choose a spot that the child can easily check on the progress of the nest, eggs, and newborn birds. “Although, it needs to be high enough up so it’s away from other animals, like squirrels or cats, that are predators,” Hosty says.

Depending on where you live you may find many types of small to medium cavity-dwelling birds inhabiting your man-made dwelling such as song birds, chickadees, small swallows, or finches, Riedl says.

Once a child sees a home developing for birds that he or she helped to create, the child’s interest in nature will begin to escalate, Hosty says. “It makes kids more aware of their natural environment,” she says. “Anything you can do to help kids get outside helps them to develop a deeper interest in nature.”

For more information, visit www.nestwatch.org or www.4Hwildlifestewards.org.

Seven Easy Steps to Making a Birdhouse from a Milk Carton

1. Get an empty half-gallon milk carton made of cardboard. Open up the top of the carton and wash and rinse it thoroughly. Let it dry.
2. Re-close the milk carton and staple it shut.
3. Get a roll of masking tape. Tear off 1-to-2-inch pieces of the tape and cover the entire milk carton. Overlap the pieces so that none of the carton shows.
4. Get brown shoe polish and a paper towel or rag. Rub the polish over all of the tape to make it look like brown bark. Let dry thoroughly.
5. Decide what type of bird you want to use the birdhouse. Look at the birdhouse specs graph, and determine how large a hole to cut as well as how far from the floor the hole should be. Cut the entrance hole in the birdhouse.
6. Using a pencil, make several holes in the bottom of the carton for any rain to drain out. Also make several holes in the top of the carton to let heat and condensation escape.
7. Make a hole through the top of the house near the staples. Put a short piece of wire (a clothes hanger can be used) through the hole to make a loop. Hang the birdhouse on a shepherd’s hook (such as those used for birdfeeders) or on a tree branch.

Graph and Milk Carton Birdhouse instructions courtesy of 4-H Wildlife Stewards